Blacker Than Midnight

by Robin James

Ten years ago, five friends went to Deadwater Lake for one last weekend together.
By sunrise, four were gone.
And the survivor just learned her nightmare is only beginning...When the sole survivor of a mass murder comes to Mercy Gale for help, she claims she’s met a man who spoke the killer’s final words—words no one else alive should know. The revelation pulls Mercy into a decades-old nightmare of secrets, lies, and blood. Was the wrong man executed for the crime? How does a stranger know what only the dead could? As Mercy digs deeper, she realizes someone is watching her… someone who remembers that night all too well—and is determined to finish what was started.

Blacker Than Midnight is the second gripping installment in the Mercy Gale Mystery Thriller Series. These books contain chilling murder mysteries packed with family secrets, shocking twists, and a fearless female investigator who will stop at nothing to find answers for her clients. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Scottoline, and John Grisham.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 22, 2026

About the author

Robin James, gifted illustrator of the bestselling Serendipity books, was born into a family of artists. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Robin has loved art and animals all her life and has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. Through the years, she has done a wide variety of artwork from animal portraits to wildlife paintings and is perhaps most recognised for her children’s book illustrations which she began in 1973. She has illustrated over 75 children’s books, and is published worldwide.

At home on MorningStar Ranch & Gallery in picturesque Snohomish, Washington, one quickly spots Robin’s enormous love of animals and nature that is so evident in her illustrations. Not surprisingly, she and her husband, Randy, live with a happy menagerie of animals - all of whom have inspired her illustrations including Allie and Puppy, both rescued greyhounds, two cats, four horses and a flock of pet chickens!